World Television Day21 November

Past Statements

"Television can be a tremendous force for good. It can educate great numbers of people about the world around them. It can show us how much we have in common with our neighbours, near and far. And, it can shed light on the dark corners, where ignorance and hatred fester. The television industry is also in a unique position to promote mutual understanding and tolerance -– with content that tells the stories not just about the powerful, but about the powerless, and not just about life in the world’s richest pockets, but also in the developing countries that are home to the majority of the world’s population."

Secretary-General Kofi Annan
World Television
Day message
21 November 2003(SG/SM/9007 OBV/392)

"Recognizing its power, public television has a vital role in guaranteeing access for all people to information on their own cultures and on global events. It is certainly indispensable for the proper functioning of genuine democracies. Television is a decisive factor in globalization. It supports cultural diversity and helps to establish freedom of information."

H.E. Mr. Jan Kavan President of the Fifty-seventh Session of the General Assembly
World Television Day message
21 November 2002
(Full text of message )

"Television, as the world’s most powerful medium of communication, has a key role to play as these changes deepen and spread further still."

Secretary-General Kofi Annan
World Television
Day message
21 November 2002(SG/SM/9007 OBV/392)

"Television can help the world to better understand the United Nations -- to understand that it is their United Nations: theirs to improve, theirs to engage, theirs to embrace. As we enter a new millennium, I look forward to working closely with the world's television professionals in pursuit of global peace and development."

Secretary-General Kofi Annan
World Television
Day message
21 November 1999 (SG/SM/9007 OBV/392)